Long Leaf Farm

Meet Josh

Josh is a 1998'ish bay tobiano gelding whom we literally rescued off a slaughter truck.  He had been unloaded at a local auction barn, I saw him, he saw me and we had to have each other. He has been the best friend a girl could have.  We've trail ridden all over hell and half of Georgia!  He'll go anywhere and do anything I ask of him - just beware of green rocks as he's sure that's where the boogie man lives!  We've gone up and down mountains, crossed the Chatooga river and have swam the flooded trails of Southern Alabama.

We were trying our hand and dressage and jumping and he was getting pretty darn good at it when he was kicked through a fence by a gelding in an adjoining pasture subsequently fracturing a 3" chip off his hock.  Although he's serviceably sound now, he doesn't feel like the same horse anymore.  I know he's not comfortable working and his mountainous trail rides are now in the past, but he will NEVER leave Long Leaf Farm.  His job now is to keep the other horses in line and whuffle my hair when I go out to the barn - both of which he does with ease.  Every now and again, I hop up on his big, wide back and we amble around the farm, but for the most part, King Joshie Boo rules the roost.

Meet Jesse ....

Jesse is a 2003 QH / Walker (? maybe) cross whom we got from the same local auction as Josh.  He was a barely started 2 year old grade horse with horrible feet, a bad cold and skin and bones, but we couldn't pass up his sweet face and great temperment.  He has since become Michael's buddy - they've been everywhere together.  The picture above is from East Fork Tennessee - some really rough mountain riding.

Jesse is our resident clown and menace.  He's ALWAYS into trouble, always looking for someone to play with and always in your back pocket.  He can always make us laugh.  He's our slick, shiny air fern...gotta love him!

Meet Star of Sienna AKA "Hershey"

1996 TB Mare

We got Hershey 10 months in foal to the Connemara stallion, Fieldstream's Riley (as evident in this picture!).  She is a beautiful, talented mare who passes on these qualities to her foals.  She had a successful career as a hunter before producing three exceptional foals.  All of her foals have her lovely, easy going temperment and her youngest, our Halfbred Connemara colt, Long Leaf Fighting Irish already shows an aptitude for jumping as he leaps and frolics around the pasture, jumping all the fallen logs he can.  Hershey will have a lifelong home here at Long Leaf Farm.  We hope to have a couple of Irish foals from her then she'll retire to farm Matriarch where she'll keep everyone else in line!

Hershey and Rudy - May 2009

Meet Tagadance

Tag is a 10 year old off the track Thoroughbred (OTTB) who is going to be starting a dressage career here at Long Leaf Farm with Lisa.  We're both a little out of shape right now as we've both spent the last couple years "out to pasture", but we're working diligently and plan our training level debut in the spring of 2010.